1. Compared to a year ago, Canucks fans have every right to feel more optimistic about their team's future.

Think about it.

A year ago, Brock Boeser was merely a highly touted prospect in college. Today, he's one of the top goal scorers in the NHL.

A year ago, Elias Pettersson was just some Swedish kid the Canucks might draft. Today, he's one of the best prospects in the world, and he's all Vancouver's.

A year ago, Thatcher Demko was finishing off a so-so season in Utica. Today, he's the Comets' MVP, with an NHL debut not far off.

So in that sense, things are better.

On the other hand, the Canucks are still a very bad hockey team. With 13 games remaining in the season, they're flirting with the worst record in the league. For a third straight year, they're going to finish well out of the playoffs.